Ecological Modelling of Insect Movement in Cropping Systems

The spatio-temporal dynamics of insect pests in agricultural landscapes involves the potential of species to move, invade, colonise, and establish in different areas. This study revised the dispersal of the important crop pests Diabrotica speciosa Germar and Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) by using computational modelling to represent the movement of these polyphagous pests in agricultural mosaics. The findings raise significant questions regarding the dispersal of pests through crops and refuge areas, indicating that understanding pest movement is essential for developing strategies to predict critical infestation levels to assist in pest-management decisions. In addition, our modelling approach can be adapted for other insect species and other cropping systems despite discussing two specific species in the current manuscript. We present an overview of studies, combining experimentation and ecological modelling, discussing the methods used and the importance of studying insect movement as well as the implications for agricultural landscapes in Brazil.

Automated summary

By using computational modelling, this study revised the dispersal patterns of important crop pests Diabrotica speciosa Germar and Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) in agricultural landscapes, highlighting the significance of understanding pest movement in developing pest-management strategies. The findings raise questions about pest dispersal through crops and refuge areas, and the modelling approach discussed can potentially be adapted for other insect species and cropping systems. The study presents a combination of experimentation and ecological modelling, discussing methods and the importance of studying insect movement, with implications for agricultural landscapes in Brazil.